Filipinos bag top 2 prizes in soy sauce cooking showdown in Japan

Two Japan-based Filipinos won the top two prizes in a recently concluded soy sauce cooking competition held in the Land of the Rising Sun. Chef and entrepreneur Claire Ocampo tickled judges’ taste buds with her succulent “Pork back ribs adobo and banana with burned brown sugar,” earning her the top prize in the 8th Soy Sauce Recipe & Story Contest held on Sept. 30, a day before Japan celebrated “Soy Sauce Day,” Japan Times reported. “Truly, the adobo has become our representative dish in the world that carries and embodies our food culture as a Filipino,” Ocampo told Inquirer via e-mail. “While Filipino cuisine is struggling to be recognized as at par with the world’s most famous cuisine, this small victory gives us hope that we can truly adapt to different food cultures while maintaining the essence of our own.” The second prize was bestowed on food photographer-stylist Justin de...